US President Donald Trump is planning a strong increase in the country's defense spending. On his Truth Social platform, Trump wrote that he proposes that it reach 1.5 trillion dollars by 2027. The US military budget for 2026 has a volume of 901 billion dollars.
"Turbulent and dangerous times"
He justified the need for such an increase with "the turbulent and dangerous times we are in". According to Trump, the increased military spending will allow for the creation of the “dream army that the country has long deserved and that can guarantee its security“.
The United States traditionally has the largest military budget in the world, and with the planned increase, it will move even further away from those of its direct rivals China and Russia, notes the German public media ARD.
Defense spending by China and Russia
The Chinese military budget is the second largest after that of the United States and is constantly growing. The country's defense spending for 2025 was determined during the National People's Congress of the Communist Party in March 2025 and amounts to about $267 billion.
Since taking office in 2013, President Xi Jinping has actively promoted the comprehensive modernization of the Chinese army. His stated goal is for China to have a "world-class army" by 2049.
Russia is third in the world in military spending. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), in 2024 it spent $149 billion, or 7.1 percent of its GDP, on this purpose. In 2026, Moscow plans to spend about $157 billion on military purposes, with the country's budget being entirely military-based - due to Moscow's aggression against Ukraine.
In Germany, about 108 billion euros, or about 2.1% of the country's GDP, are planned for defense in 2026, and this amount also includes funds for the army from the special financial fund.
Resistance from members of Congress?
Trump's request for higher military spending is likely to meet resistance from Democrats in Congress. They are demanding a balance between military spending and spending that has nothing to do with defense. But it is assumed that some Republicans, who are against high government spending, will also have objections.